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Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean

Animal remains from the Early Makurian cemetery in el-Zuma (season 2013)

2015, 24, No. 1

Urszula Iwaszczuk

DOI

10.5604/01.3001.0010.0067

Publication date

28.02.2016

Publishing model

open access

License type

CC BY 4.0 Int.

Field

Humanities

Discipline

archeology

Language of publication

English

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Article

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Abstract

Excavation in 2013 of two tumuli, T.15 and T.21, making up part of the Early Makurian cemetery at El-Zuma, yielded numerous animal bones among other finds. The total from T.15 was a set of 1404 fragmentary bones belonging (with the exception of 653 that could not be identified due to the poor state of preservation) to cattle and ovicaprids. The remains came from the shaft, the burial chamber and two lateral chambers. The number of bones from T.21 was much smaller, restricted to 78 fragments, coming mostly from the burial chamber. Except for one bird bone and seven unidentified fragments, the remains belonged to an ovicaprid. Marks visible on the bones from both tumuli confirmed that the parts of cattle and ovicaprine carcasses served as food offerings for the dead.

Keywords:

animal bones,Early Makuria,El-Zuma,offering deposits,cattle/ovicaprid

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